This invention relates generally to the field of automotive wheel finishing, and more particularly to a machine, and fixture for surfacing, deburring, radiusing, descaling, polishing, abrading, or otherwise preparing automotive wheels for the application of many types of coating, plating, painting, and also to create a variety of final polishes or “finishes” for automotive wheels.
Machines for finishing small work pieces in a rotational barrel configuration are well known; however, a machine with the necessary fixturing and process for finishing automotive wheels through accelerated positive gravity induced burnishing is completely unknown in the automotive wheel manufacturing and finishing industries. In fact, manufacturers of automotive wheels currently use no type of a rotational barrel configuration technology to achieve the necessary pre-finishing preparation or to apply a variety of final “finishes” to automotive wheels. Finishing of large work pieces such as wheels requires a machine and fixturing system for holding the wheels to permit the wheels to receive high energy impacts from slurry mixtures without damaging the surface of the wheel in undesirable ways. Further, there does not exist a means for reducing the heat and pressure buildup in high energy machines running at high rotational speeds and generating large G forces.
Finishing small work pieces in a rotational barrel configuration is accomplished by use of slurry mixtures to create forces against the work pierces to grind down imperfections by utilizing gravitational forces to impart the force to the work piece in a desired fashion. Typically, the work pieces are placed loosely in a barrel and allowed to impact each other as well as the slurry mixture. Prior machines and methods for finishing small work pieces used hexagonal barrels mounted within a turret. The barrels typically moved in a counterclockwise fashion from the turret in such a way as to maintain a fixed position of the barrel with respect the horizon. This approach permitted the maximum impacting of the slurry mixture on the work pieces by agitating the system as the barrels rotated.
The deficiency of the prior technology is that there has existed no means or method for securing large work pieces such as automotive wheels in the proper position in a rotational barrel configuration machine to achieve an effective result. Further, no large barrels existed to hold automotive wheels and perform at high rotational speeds to achieve the desired results. Consequently, no machines utilizing a rotational barrel configuration have ever been developed with barrels of sufficient size to contain automotive wheels due, in part, to the lack of mechanisms for fixturing the wheels properly. Another problem solved by the instant invention when utilizing the large barrel sizes required to hold automotive wheels is a means for reducing the extreme heat and consequent pressure build-up inside the barrel which would result in unavoidable leakage detrimental to the process. Such means are integrated into the barrels and permit the entry of coolants to the system during rotation.
A further advantage of the presently disclosed system is the quick and simple loading and unloading of cartridges that may be inserted into barrel containers from the end of the rotating turrets. By end loading the cartridges through openings in the turret, insertion of wheels for finishing and removable of wheels is facilitated.